Guys, i am so proud to write this post, after 5 years of homebrewing i find this brewing year as a point of inflection, when i realize my beers are better than the same style coming from industrial production. Two-three years ago i used to think ´i will never be able to brew a beer like this´.Now im sure my beers are far better than industrial in regards some styles , i have no experience about lambic beers yet though.I would like to hear your opinion regarding your beers Edit: I have a huge knowledge left to learn.
Good to hear! I have a long way to go myself. The only style I think I've nailed so far is a saison. I have yet to taste a better offering, commercial or otherwise.
I've been brewing for a 1 1/2 years and I agree. I've done a few sours, belgians and IPA's that have come out so well I question why everyone doesn't brew.
Congratulations! I've only brewed two batches so far that I would say are better than the best of the style that I've bought (out of 49 so far, but a few are conditioning/fermenting now). However, they were amazing and it was a great feeling to share them.
not even close. But my beers are usually pretty damn good. And preferable to many beers on the shelf.
One thing your beers will always have over commercially produced beers is guaranteed freshness. I am in no way implying that your beers are inferior to commercial beers. But the fact that they will inevitably always be fresher does help. I had a Pliny the Elder clone from a guy I met at the bar during a Pliny tapping one time and I felt it was as good or better than Pliny. He said he had just bottled it the day before and I had to imagine the journey that the keg of Pliny had to make from RR to PA.
Well I'm not brewing the greatest beers ever yet, but I expect that day to eventually come! And I have already had some damn successful brews, which makes me feel very good about all the effort and money I've put into it. I just tested a bottle of my black IPA last week, and it was already bottle conditioned pretty well and almost ready (and delicious!). Now I've been away for a week and I know when I get back tomorrow night that my beer will be ready. I can't wait to enjoy the batch, bottle my juniper pale ale that's in the fermenter right now, and brew another batch (either another pale ale or another IPA). Congratulations on your success!
Brew two batches of the same recipe. If you can't tell any difference between the two then you really are on your way to being a good brewer. Anyone can make a good batch. Real brewers do it over and over and even have to account for grain and AA variations yet they taste exactly the same. That is skill.
Tebuken, Congrats. Keep up the good work. Good point. The flip side is the art. I don't know if I'll ever be able to taste a beer, pretty much know the recipe and be able to make a recommendation. There are brewers that can tell you what to change and know what the change will taste like.
The flip side is the art. I don't know if I'll ever be able to taste a beer, pretty much know the recipe and be able to make a recommendation. There are brewers that can tell you what to change and know what the change will taste like.[/quote] I think i am too far away from be able to do that.
Congratulations! I recently made this realization myself, it's a really amazing feeling. Cheers to world class beer brewed at home.
Personally, I have a tendency to shy away from ordinary styles and go more for the gonzo brewing - odd fruits, herbs, flavor combos not found in commercial examples. That way I feel accomplished often, because it ends up tasty and no one else around me is doing it. One example is one of my early experiments, my vanilla cognac pecan pie porter. It turned out great and sets my stuff apart from commercial beer for my friends
